


Of Mice and Girls.

by RedStarFiction



Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 10:23:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5493776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedStarFiction/pseuds/RedStarFiction





	Of Mice and Girls.

The practices had been some of the least orderly singing practices Claire had ever heard, and Brianna’s school choir had been run by an unquestionably alcoholic ex-army drill instructor given to encouraging the children to be loud if they were not talented and would frequently break into a sort of loose jazz half way through a recital on the battered old church hall piano.  
Roger and Jenny had finally used a peculiar combination of threats and cajoling to get the rabble into some sort of order to perform at the equinox celebrations, and as dusk rolled in she could hear Bree bellowing orders over the sound of fiddles being warmed up and children chasing each other around the waiting bonfire stack.  
Claire turned back to the provisions table she had been guarding by the back door of the house, only to find Mandy sitting on said table munching a cookie.  
“Where did you come from?! I only turned my back for a second!”  
Claire asked in amazement, hands on hips. Mandy seemed to have inherited the cat like grace and stealth of her grandfather without the hold-back of being red-headed and large enough to spot fairly easily.  
“Will ye braid my hair for me Grannie? Aunt Jenny does it too tight and it hurts my head.”  
Mandy chose to ignore her grandmother’s indignation, licking the sugar from her fingers.  
“If it stops you sneaking around for five minutes…”  
Claire grumbled and Mandy grinned at her, slanted eyes creasing into sapphire slits.  
“I wasn’t sneaking; I was stalking, like Uncle Ian.”  
Claire resisted the urge to roll her eyes and nudged Mandy off of the table, settling herself in her place, keeping a careful eye out for Jem or one of the other children who may have joined Mandy in foraging.  
“It’s just me Grannie; the boys make too much noise.”  
Mandy informed her, reaching for another cookie. Claire whisked the plate away from her hand  
“They’re for later, here…”  
She reached back and picked up a plate of something smelly that made Mandy’s eyes water.  
“… Have a garlic infused squirrel meat skewer?”  
Mandy wrinkled her nose and looked at her grandmother reproachfully.  
“It smells awful Grannie … did ye make it?”  
Claire smiled at her and put the plate down  
“No, I didn’t. Although you should really establish who made something before saying it stinks.”  
Mandy shrugged  
“It’s better to be honest... especially if food smells like a privy.”  
Claire blushed slightly as she began to braid Mandy’s thick curls. The little girl may have got her physical grace from Jamie but her alarming verbal frankness was surely from Claire herself.  
“Honesty is rarely an excuse for rudeness a leannan.”  
Jamie’s voice floated over the babble and both Claire and Mandy jumped, startled by its nearness.  
“Ouch!”  
Mandy rubbed the spot where Claire had accidently yanked her hair, her eyes lighting on her grandfather, leaning against the side of the house.  
“It’s more rude to sneak around eavesdropping!”  
She snapped at him impatiently and Claire heard the smile in his voice as he answered  
“I wasna sneaking, I was stalking.”  
Mandy’s scowl turned into a reluctant grin and she released her hair back into her grandmother’s care.  
“Weel it’s no use Grandda. Grannie says the cookies are for later and ye won’t want the skunk meat.”  
“Squirrel meat,”  
Claire corrected, then grimaced at Jamie  
“She’s right though, you won’t want it. I don’t know who brought it along but it’s … pungent.”  
Jamie came to inspect the dish in question and pulled back reeling.  
“Eurgh. I dinna think they skinned the thing before roasting it. It’s like burnt hair and a French whor … ah … madam’s drawers.”  
Mandy gasped and then broke into fits of giggles  
“Grandda! Ye almost said wh…”  
“Aye, weel, I didna say it and neither should ye. Ye Grannie will make us swish yon wee squirrel bites around our mouths.”  
“I might, if only to get rid of them.”  
Claire sighed, finishing the braid and tying it off with a pale green ribbon that complimented Mandy’s dress.  
“Thank ye Grannie.”  
“You’re welcome. Are you ready for your solo performance?”  
“Yep. Daddy says I’m pitch-perfect.”  
She beamed proudly  
“I’m sure you are sweetheart, you’ve your father’s gift for music.”  
Claire nodded, smoothing a few flyaway curls from Mandy’s face.  
“Do ye ken when they’re lighting the fire Grandda?”  
“Soon but dinna get to close, the smoke will ruin ye dress.”  
Jamie said and Mandy smiled sweetly at him before turning to her grandmother and rolling her eyes, making Claire splutter with stifled laughter and Jamie narrow his eyes suspiciously at them both.  
“Go on, find your mother, they’ll want you ready to start when the fire is lit.”  
Claire said, nudging Mandy forward. The little girl blew a kiss at her grandfather and took off at a run towards the crowd. Jamie watched her go until her small figure melted into the gathering masses and then grinned at his wife  
“Roger Mac will ha’ his hands full there in a couple o’ years.”  
“What do you mean? I’m quite sure he has his hands full now!”  
Claire laughed and Jamie nodded happily  
“Aye, so he has. Was Brianna sae fearless as a wee lassie?”  
Jamie asked and Claire smiled to herself. By now Jamie knew almost as much about what Bree was like as a child as she did, he had quizzed her on every detail and wanted to know as much as she could remember, but he still liked to ask, just in case there was something more she could tell him.  
“She was. And just as stubborn too!”  
“Like her mother.”  
“Like her father!”  
Claire retorted and Jamie pulled her towards him, eyes wide and innocent  
“Och, surely ye canna mean…”  
He didn’t get to finish that thought as a blaze of light suddenly illuminated the house and several people shrieked with alarm as fire shot towards the night sky.  
Jamie and Claire looked at each other for a moment before simultaneously saying  
“Germain.”  
Jamie swore under his breath and stomped over to the bonfire which was now crackling harmlessly enough, his eyes lighting on Germain and Jem, both blackened with soot – Germain holding a stub of wood that had no doubt been a torch and Jem clutching an empty bottle of something that Jamie could only hope had not been decent whiskey.  
“It was an accident!”  
They said in unison, Jamie exhaled strongly through his nose but before he could speak Masali and Bree pushed through the throng. Masali looked tired and over-wrought, Brianna was clearly furious and the boys glanced at each other before making a decisive decision to go and stand beside their grandfather.  
“Grandpere has us. We are surrendered!”  
Germain spoke swiftly, bowing to his irate mother whilst taking a small step closer to Jamie.  
Jem opened his eyes wide and forced as much innocence into his face as possible as Bree stared daggers at him.  
“What did you do?”  
“Sorry Mam, we were just looking at it…”  
“Looking at it?! Jeremiah it’s on fire!”  
“It is a bonfire Mam.”  
Jem smiled weakly. Bree drew a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment and when she opened them she looked over his head at Jamie  
“I have not got time for this right now. Have you got them?”  
“Aye lass, dinna fash. They’ll be no more trouble.”  
Jamie said firmly and shot an unsympathetic look at his grandsons, placing a large hand on the back of each of their necks.  
Bree levelled a finger at Jem  
“Later.”  
She said menacingly and went back to the choir who had all but scattered in the excitement. Marsali lingered for a moment; she looked close to tears and unsure of what to do until Jamie said softly  
“See to the wee bairns, lass. I’ll see to these two.”  
“Thank ye Da. Germain, try to stay out of any more trouble.”  
She said quietly and walked back to her other children.  
“In the house. Now.”  
Jamie growled quietly as Mandy popped up beside him and tugged on his sleeve.  
“It was an accident Grandda. Jem was trying to rescue my mouse; he went into the pyre and …”  
“Your mouse?”  
“Aye, my mouse. I rescued him and named him Dougal. Anyway, he went it and Jem was trying to rescue him before the fire was lit and Germain brought a torch to help but Jem spilled some whiskey near it and then it all just … caught fire. I think Dougal must have got away in time though.”  
Mandy spoke quickly in her haste to save her brother and cousin.  
“I’m sure he did mo chride”  
Jamie nodded and then looked at Jem, a slight frown between his brows  
“Why did ye ha’ whiskey?”  
“Uncle Ian wanted it.”  
Jem offered quickly. Jamie raised an eyebrow at his grandson.  
“And if I were to ask ye Uncle about that fact?”  
“Ye can Grandpere! He asked Mandy for it but Mandy was worried about Dougal and Fergus escaping from her pockets…”  
Germain broke off guiltily and looked at Mandy apologetically. She scowled at him but didn’t say anything.  
“Fergus? … Amanda why did ye ha’ two mice in ye pockets?”  
Jamie understood Mandy’s love of all creatures wee and furry but he also knew it drove Bree mad.  
“Weel Grandda… I … er … rescued him too.”  
Mandy said tentatively and it was her turn to be fixed with a look from her grandfather.  
“Rescued him from what?”  
“She liberated it from the grass most likely!”  
Germain laughed and Mandy scowled at him.  
“Like you and Jem ‘liberated’ some of the whiskey before you spilt it all?”  
“Hush petit!”  
Germain sniffed dismissively and Mandy lunged forward angrily only to be snatched up around the waist by Jamie and hoisted into the air.  
He addressed the boys one arm still around his squirming granddaughter  
“Alright, go on and get some whiskey from ye Grandmother and then ye can find Ian. No liberating any from this bottle, aye?”  
“Aye Grandda!”  
Germain nodded and both bounded off in the direction of the house.  
Once they were gone Jamie set Mandy down. She straightened her dress and turned to glare at him.  
“That hurt!”  
“I’m sorry if it did, but ye were about to hurt Germain were ye no?”  
“He deserved it! I HATE being called ‘petit’!”  
She huffed and Jamie thought he had never seen her look so much like Claire. He forced his expression to remain straight and stern though and placed his hands on his hips.  
“All the same, ye ken weel enough ye are not to…”  
Jamie began and Mandy cut him off  
“Me having a mouse in my pocket didn’t start the fire! It was an accident!”  
Mandy spread her arms wide and tipped her chin up to face him boldly, as if she was a lawyer appealing to a jury and Jamie suppressed a smile with ever greater difficulty.  
“I was referring to ye fighting actually but where is the mouse now?”  
“Fergus?”  
“Aye, Fergus.”  
Mandy bit her lip, she had a glass face and Jamie knew instantly. He crouched down in front of Mandy and held out his hand.  
“Let me have him.”  
“Can’t I keep him Grandda?”  
“No ye canna, now gi’ him here.”  
Jamie said, a little more sharply than he intended to. When she hesitated, rose-bud lip pushed out, he softened his tone and tried again.  
“He canna live around here wi’ that cats can he? He needs to be in the woods, wi’ his own kind. I’ll set him somewhere safe.”  
“You won’t hurt him? Promise?”  
Jamie had in fact been planning to dispose of the rodent as soon as Mandy was gone as mice were a nuisance to have around and he was fed up of finding corn sacks nibbled through, but faced with the anxious frown on his granddaughters face he found himself completely unable to do it.  
“Aye, I promise.”  
Mandy withdrew a petrified little mouse from her pocket and dutifully handed it to Jamie who folded his own massive hand around it carefully.  
Jamie pointed to a good spot just on the edge of the gathering and together they escorted Fergus to his new home and set him on the ground where he disappeared into the leaves almost immediately.  
“Bye Fergus!”  
Mandy called, bottom lip quivering and eyes brimming with tears. For a mad moment Jamie wanted to plunge into the leaves and try to get the damn creature back for her but he smothered the impulse and lifted her up instead.  
“Come, Fergus and Dougal are fine and ye ha’ a musical debut to make.”  
He smiled at her and Mandy nodded, rubbing a sleeve across her eyes.  
Jamie carried her to the rest of the choir before gently lowering her down and kissing her temple as he straightened. Brianna raised her eyebrows questioningly and Jamie smiled, waving away her concerns.  
The choir performed admirably and Mandy’s solo piece was beautiful. She sang sweetly with the clear and sure voice inherited from her father, who wept inconspicuously into a handkerchief at the sight of his daughter on stage.  
After the performance, Germain sidled up to his cousin and presented her with a small bouquet of flowers he had picked and told her that her recital had enchanted him, which was more than enough to persuade Mandy to forgive him for teasing her earlier.  
No one touched the garlic squirrel dish and even the pigs took a couple of days to clear it up after Claire discreetly lobbed it into the enclosure. The singing and dancing continued into the early hours and thus the equinox was welcomed at Fraser’s Ridge.


End file.
